In Between
by that70sgurl23
Summary: A short, few chapters long story (it will be when I'm done) about Jackie and Hyde in the very beginnings of their relationship. Takes place between the kiss on Eric's couch and the episode Going To California.
1. The Beginning

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, and do not claim to. My sole purpose is to write about Jackie and Hyde who are, in my opinion, an adorable couple. I hope you enjoy. (  
  
"Another old lady. She can't even reach the wheel!" I yelled at the TV in Eric's basement. The Price is Right was on again. How many times this summer had Steven and I sat on the couch and watched that? God, that's sad, I thought. I've spent nearly my entire summer watching TV with Steven Hyde. I could almost have cried for myself. Damn Michael. Why'd he have to run off anyway? We were going to get married. Well, that was over. Forget him.  
  
"I can't watch the Price is Right again, I just can't." It seemed Steven and I agreed on one thing. I wondered if he was as bored as I was.  
  
"This summer totally sucks. There's nothing to do." As I said it, I wished I had a boyfriend. Not Michael, obviously, the dumbass, but someone... different. Someone better. Then I wouldn't be so bored. We could kiss or something. Where was a male when I needed one?  
  
Wait.  
  
I looked at Steven, and found he was looking back. In a split second, we were kissing. I pulled away. What had I just done? Wait, what had I just done? Somehow, whatever it was, I wanted to do it again. So I did.  
  
Wow. I was kissing Steven Hyde. Just how the hell did I go from watching The Price is Right to kissing Steven Hyde?  
  
Not that it's a bad thing, I thought. Actually.. it's kind of good. Really good. So much better than kissing Michael. Maybe even better than that time Fez kissed me.  
  
I don't know how long we made out that first day. Seemed like hours. Well spent hours. He was supposed to disgust me. He always had. Well, except for that short time where I liked him. I remembered how he took the wrap for me, told that cop it was his stuff, not mine. He'd gone to jail for me. Then we'd gone on that date on Veteran's Day. It really was the best date I'd ever been on. He was so sweet that night. I still to this day don't know why I said I felt nothing when we kissed. Maybe I was afraid. Well, whatever it was, I had made up my mind I wouldn't ruin it this time. Steven and I were making out. And it was great.  
  
Eric came down the stairs and ended it. Steven and I sprang apart like lightning and retreated to as far away from each other was possible. God, Eric was stupid. It was written all over our faces. Actually, he was probably just too busy pitying himself. He had been all summer. I almost felt bad for him. But then, the jerk did bring it on himself, refusing Donna like that. Idiot.  
  
"Hi guys," he said half-heartedly. "What are you watching?"  
  
I had no idea. "Um.." My head was still reeling from what had just happened.  
  
Steven was quicker. "Gilligan's Island," he replied quickly.  
  
Eric sat down and started watching with us. Well, with Steven anyway. I wasn't watching the TV at all. I was watching Steven. He really was adorable, you know. His hair was just so.. curly. It almost didn't fit his attitude. He hadn't shaved all summer. The beard was nice on him, but I missed how he looked clean-shaven. He was wearing his sunglasses, so his eyes were covered. I wished he wasn't. He had nice eyes. Sometime later, Eric finally went to bed, and Steven and I were back together on the couch in seconds.  
  
He was so different from Michael when he kissed. It was like... when Michael kissed me, there wasn't much behind it. I was hot and he wanted me for being hot, but there wasn't anything else there. I couldn't believe it had taken me until now to realize that. Steven on the other hand, he was... nice. There are no words. You could feel that he cared by the way he kissed, and he wasn't just doing it so he could tell his friends about it later and make them jealous. It was because he wanted to.  
  
Finally, we pulled apart. "Steven, it's really late. I should go," I finally stated reluctantly. As much as I wanted to stay, I knew I should go. I got up and started walking to the door.  
  
Just before I opened it, I turned around to say goodbye, but looking at Steven, I couldn't resist running right back over to the couch and kissing him one more time.  
  
We went through this little routine three times before I realized I had to leave without looking back at him. So I did, but only because I knew I would be back the next day, probably earlier than usual. 


	2. A Routine

Disclaimer: Once again, I own none of them. though I would like to own Hyde. If anyone sees him wandering the streets or something, call me please. ;)  
  
A/N: I kind of want to apologize for the lack of Fez so far. I really do like him, it's just that these first two chapters don't really have much room for him. I promise he'll show up more soon. I hate neglecting characters.  
  
Chapter 2  
  
The next morning, I woke up extra early, now having more to look forward to at Eric's than cheesy game shows. But as I lay there in bed, I started thinking about it and I got worried. What if last night had been a total fluke? What if it had meant nothing to Steven and I went over at ten o'clock instead of noon as usual and he just stared at me and asked why the hell I was over so early? Damn it. I was becoming so insecure about the whole thing.  
  
This is why thinking is dangerous, I said to the ceiling over my bed.  
  
Finally, I compromised with myself. I would go over at eleven, and if Steven and I kissed again, I would start going over early every day to get in more time with him. If not, I would just forget it and allow myself to sleep in later, start going over at noon again, and let my boring, TV- watching existence continue.  
  
I also decided that either way, I wouldn't get attached to Steven. I wouldn't allow myself to get hurt again so soon. The last thing I needed was another boyfriend. This would just be a. summer thing. Nothing more. I was sure that was all it was to him anyway. Steven Hyde didn't care more than he had to about anything. Least of all me. So, having figured things out just a little, I headed off to the Formans'.  
  
When I arrived, he was already on the couch, watching something or other. I wondered how early he usually got up.  
  
I sat down on the couch, trying to figure out what he was thinking. This wasn't going to work. The silence was killing me. We needed some kind of conversation. "So, um..." I started slowly, "What. what are you watching?"  
  
He turned to look at me. "It's. it's, uh. it's." Whatever it was, I never found out, and I have to tell you I don't care. Mid-sentence, he pulled me to him and kissed me hard, almost as if he'd truly missed me for those hours we'd been apart. I dimly tried to remember a time Michael had really seemed to have missed me, but gave up fast. Michael was gone. Steven was here. I put my arms around his neck and leaned back, placing my head on the arm of the couch and pulled him down on top of me. All the time, we kept kissing. It felt like we'd never stopped at all the night before and had been there the whole time.  
  
Who knows how much later, I heard Eric's footsteps in the kitchen. I knew what was coming. He would go to the fridge, get himself a pop, and come downstairs. He did it every day.  
  
"Steven," I said, ending our kiss abruptly, "It's Eric! He's coming down!" We tried to separate ourselves quickly, but somehow Steven's sunglasses had gotten stuck in my hair. "Take them off, hurry!" I whispered frantically. Eric could not find out about this. I knew that. I didn't know what he would do about it, but he definitely wouldn't approve of it. He might not let me come over anymore. Then I would really have nothing to do, and no Steven to make out with.  
  
Steven pulled his glasses off and I flung my hair behind my shoulder, hiding the glasses between me and the back of the couch. "Just don't break them," was the last thing Steven could say before Eric came pounding into the basement and flopped himself down right between us.  
  
"Hey, guys. Sorry I'm later than usual today. Kinda slept in. That can happen when you're wallowing in self pity, y'know?" God, how did he want us to respond to this? Both of us kept our mouths shut and let him talk. "I know I'm a drag this summer. It's just, I miss Donna. I'm such a dillhole for letting her go. If only she'd call." If Eric cried, I was going to puke. Luckily, he seemed to catch himself. "But, hey, you guys don't want hear about poor Eric. You've got problems of your own, am I right?" I rolled my eyes. The only problem I had right now was that Eric was between me and Steven. "I mean, Jackie, your boyfriend left you after you suggested getting married and went to California. That just had to hurt. And now, you two are spending practically the entire summer together. And you, like, hate each other! I am so, so sorry." If only he knew. If only I could punch him. If only he would go away.  
  
He was quiet for a few minutes, and I was afraid he would stay for the rest of the day or something. I didn't know if I could stand being that close to Steven and having to pretend to not even like him. Finally, though, Eric's self pity won out. "You know, I've just been thinking about how much my life sucks right now, and I think I'm going back to bed. Good night." With that, he went back upstairs.  
  
"God, what a baby," Steven said. "Ow, ow, ow, OW," I replied, "Steven, help! My hair is all knotted and your sunglasses are still stuck and if I pull too hard it'll get all damaged!" He tried to get it out as gently as possible, but in the end, he just yanked it. "Steven! That really hurt," I screeched, rubbing my hair. "From now on, you shouldn't wear those when we. when we." go ahead, say it, I told myself. Two words. Make. Out. It's easy. But I couldn't. For some reason, it just seemed like saying it would make it more. meaningful and we might actually have to talk about it and I just didn't want to. Steven read my mind. He kept me from having to say anything at all by covering my mouth with his. We settled back down on the couch and stayed there until Fez showed up.  
  
At that point, I made some excuse to leave. I knew Fez would stay a long time and I couldn't stand staying in the basement that long with Steven right next to me and having to act like everything was normal.  
  
And so it went for 2 weeks, the same schedule, except that I kept showing up earlier and earlier, and he would be waiting for me, no matter what time. Some days, I would stay when Fez came and once he left, we would make out a little more. Other days, I would make an excuse to leave and wait outside. Then Steven would make an excuse a little later and we'd make out in his car. It had become the only thing keeping my summer from being completely awful. I was getting a little afraid, though, that I really was getting attached to Steven. Not just for the kissing but for him. I was once again really beginning to love Steven Hyde.  
  
  
  
A/N: Ok, so, I'm not happy with the end of this chapter, but I really had to stop it. it was getting a bit out of control. Anyway, I should have the next one up soon, and hopefully this story will be over within the fourth or fifth chapter. Please review what I've got so far in the meantime! 


	3. Feelings

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em, and if I did, I'd set 'em free, because you can't own people like property. That's slavery, and there are laws against that, man. Except that they're characters, so I don't know that the same rules apply, but nevertheless, they aren't my property and I'm just messing with them.  
  
It had been about two and a half weeks since the whole thing had started, and I was beginning to feel like it could be more than just some summer thing. I really did like Steven. I was having a hard time going more than a few hours away from the basement. Even when Fez and Eric were around and we were sitting across the room from each other, supposedly ignoring each other, it was easy to tell that neither of us was thinking of anything but the moment the others left and we sprung together on the couch again.  
  
This was the point when I decided we had to start talking, and not just making out. The base of every good relationship is communication. It said so in Cosmo, so of course it was true, and I wanted a good relationship with Steven. I hoped that with very little convincing, he would want one too.  
  
Slowly, I started trying to blend conversation into our daily routine. Sometimes I would just stop in the middle of making out and say something like, "What do you think of my outfit?" or, "This humidity is killing my hair." None of it was successful. He'd always just roll his eyes and tell me very bluntly to shut up and the making out would continue. I, not wanting to cause problems, would shut up. Ok, so I wasn't trying very hard at all. It was just, I was a little afraid that if I actually did get Steven to talk, he would say something I didn't want to hear, like that he really didn't want anything but a fling.  
  
It might hurt more to just keep going like this though, and then find out when summer ended that he didn't want me at all anymore. So I decided to be more direct about things.  
  
One morning, I came over and sat down on the couch as usual. He, of course, moved toward me, but for once, I didn't come toward him. "Steven, wait a minute," I started, "I need to talk to you about something." He looked confused, and a bit worried. "Um, ok. What is it? Need help deciding on what conditioner to use? 'Cause if it's anything like that, you can just stop right now and we can continue with what we should be doing." "No, Steven. It's about.... Well, these past few weeks -" "Jackie, don't talk. It ruins the mood," he said, looking a little panicked, and quickly made it impossible for me to say anything else.  
  
Later on that day, Eric, Fez, Steven, and I sat in the basement. We were all watching TV a little boredly, all thinking of different things. Eric was of course still drowning in sorrow over Donna, Steven was most likely thinking of how he was going to jump on me as soon as they left, Fez was probably thinking of candy, though I'm not sure, and I was thinking of Steven. He was too damn good at bottling up his feelings, and he was doing it with his feelings for me, which I was sure he had. Otherwise, why would he have spent all summer kissing me when he could've easily just gone down to The Hub and picked up the first slutty girl that walked in? Steven was always bottling up feelings. Like all the anger he must have toward his mom and his dad. They'd both abandoned him at least twice. It was just wrong. I felt so bad for him. It would be part of my quest, I decided, to heal all his wounds from the past. It would be so romantic. Just like a book or a movie. Now, all I had to do was make him my boyfriend so that the healing process could begin.  
  
A/N: Jackie of got away from me here, and she's all off on this healing thing. I honestly don't know where it came from, it wasn't in the original plan at all, but I'm going with it because I feel bad for having left this story alone for a while but I've had a bit of a block on it. It will hopefully be finished in the near future. After it's done, I'm considering doing the same time period from Hyde's point of view, if anyone thinks it would be interesting. Please review! 


End file.
